Heat exchanger



HEAT EXCHANGER Filed April 4, 1942 Patented Apr. 4, 1944 iJhI'I'lflLD".4 PATENT' OFFICE;

This.- invention relates .toheat exchangers, and more particularly to a removabletube-.embracing sleeve therefor.

The. obj ect of the. present. inventionis.` to provide, in a heat. exchanger,.a tube-embracingsleeve having. a longitudinal...slit.. permitting the .passage therethroughof the tube...

Referring .to the drawing ,.forminga .part fof this application. Figure .1 l.is a..view .of..a heat` exchanger embodying the .presentinventiontaken onl the line I-I of Fig. .2,..par.ts being .shown.in full and parts beingbroken.. away, theheat.- exchanger being shown aforeshortened; Fig..2-is

an. end view of the heat .exchanger as` viewed from :the right of Fig. Al; Fig..3 isanend View of.. a sleeve shown in Figs. l and 2 .as .viewed .fromv the left` of Fig. 1;.Fig..4 is .a vforeshortened plan view of the sleeve ofv Fig. -3; andYFig.-.5 isa view.. similarto'Fig. .3 butshowing a modiedformof sleeve. The heatexchanger, indicated generally by the reference numeral I, includes a shell 2 openatits forward end and closed atits rearend and hav.-

ing an external orifcedbolting -fiange-at 'its` forward end. A header l closes the xforward-end ofthe shell, the header khaving a=tube sheet 5 secured to the iiange` 3 :by 'bolts 6, a gasket 1 being. provided between the flange and tubevv sheet, .sealing the shell.

The tube'sheetis provided withfopenings i and .9.Y A tubular pipe-section I!) is. expanded.

into each of the openings 8 ands 'and extends forwardly. therefrom; the expanded joint being made fluid tight by a tongue and groove connection II. The forward end of each section I is closed by an oriced disc I2 which is Welded thereto. A pipe fitting I3 is secured to the side wall of each section li! and opens thereinto. One section Ill forms a header inlet and the other section a header outlet. In the present instance it is contemplated that the section Ill secured in opening 8 form the inlet and it therefore provides an inlet chamber lll. Similarly section I0 secured in opening 5 provides an outlet chamber I5.

A U-tube I6 is disposed in the shell 2 with its U-bend Il at the rear end of the shell and its straight legs I8 extending forwardly therefrom through sections I0, through the orices in the discs I2, and forwardly therefrom to the exterior of the exchanger, the forward ends of the legs being threaded. An expanded tongue and groove connection I9 of each leg in its disc I2 is provided, preventing escape of fluid therethrough from the chambers' I4 and I5! The legs. `within the shelllareprovidedvwith externalfins 23'.: Tlf-1e type of l heatexchanger showns-and .ide-

scribed form's no 'part Iof the present invention,

" and-is'- by wayl ofexample only. The present invention resides `in 'the' `sleeves, later to l be referred to, which coactwiththe exchanger: tubes, and `thesesleeves `have application to other heat exchangers than lthatshown inthe drawing..- Disposed 'in' vthe shell are sleeves 2 I, ones embracingeach-leg 'IB,'these sleeves augmenting i'lovrof shell u'id 'throughthe `narea of thee tubesin Yaccordance with usual-practice; TheA shell' iiuid :from chambery I4 fowsf Vthrough the wadjacentsleeve 2 I andinto'shell`2; the rear end of this'lsleevey 2 I 'opening' directly in'tol the 'shell The fluid leaves'th shell vthrough the other sleeve 2| which is. also open directly intor the shellat' its rear end and which directs'V the Vflf1.id\into`..the outlet `chamber I5.

It is desirable to employ removable sleeves so that the-iin area ofthe tubes can be cleaned and inspected'when` necessary. This ist especially true Wherr'the n tubes'fare permanentlyzsecured tof the .headeras' iin: the instant.'rexchanger.Y Sleeve 2 Ir is therefore `ma'deof. `sheet-metal rolled in'to. shape' and 'iswprovide'd'with fa rslitf221. In' its simplest; form? the Vsleeve 1maybe.merelyia Irolled flati piecefxof sheetviron which;V due fto`its 'own resiliency, wouldztightly :embrace the -fins` of the tubev vIt isnotnecessary thatfthefedgesoi the slit comein 'contact as. the .-same -fluid is inthe sleeve'v and `shell and-...some leakage. of..r fluid through the slit has no ill effect, both shell and sleeves being lled with the duid. The edges of the slit could also overlap if desired. However a more desirable sleeve is provided by the construction shown in Figs. l to 4 of the drawing. Here the sleeve is made by rolling sheet metal, and substantially radial longitudinal flanges 23 are provided at the edges of the slit, and a circumferential ange 24 is provided at one end of the sleeve, namely the end adjacent the tube sheet 5. The flange 24 has perforations 25 for screws 26 which removably secure the sleeve to the tube Sheet 5. vThe perforations 25 may be elongated if desired. Flanges 23 are also perforated for bolts 21. Flanges 23 and 2li are preferably but not necessarily formed integral with the sleeve. For instance the ange 2Q may be of angle iron ring shape and detachably screwed to the sleeve permitting removal of the sleeve.

To assemble a sleeve 2| with a leg I3 it is merely necessary to open the slit sufficiently to pass it over the U-bend |1 and to move the sleeve longitudinally along the adjacent leg I8. Sleeve 2| may be smaller in diameter than the n diameter so that bolts 21 may be tightened to snugly draw the sleeve around the ns. Sleeve 2| may be made of a size to completely close the slit or to leave it open as shown in drawing. The screws 26 securing the sleeve to the tube sheet prevent axial movement of the sleeve. However ange 24 may be done away with if desired, and the pressure fit produced by bolts 21 relied upon to prevent such axial movement of the sleeve.

While it is contemplated that sleeve 2| will tightly embrace the fins it may however loosely embrace them or even embrace them in slightly spaced relation, in which case ange 24 'would act as a base for the sleeve, holding it in correct position and preventing axial movement.

A modied form of sleeve is shown in Fig. 5. This sleeve, indicated by the reference numeral 28, has a flange 29 similar to flange 24 and similar remarks apply thereto, and outwardly extending flanges 30, similar to flanges 23 except that they are not perforated, and furthermore has lips 3| extending laterally outward from the edges of flanges 30. These lips are engaged by a clamp 32, as is clearly shown in Fig. 5. Clamp 32 is made from a flat strip of sheet metal with the end portions bent over upon themselves to form slots which engage the lips 3|. Clamp 32 may be made as one single long clamp or as several short spaced clamps. When such clamp or clamps are employed itis contemplated that a slit 33 will be provided. However, in general, clamp 32 acts similarly to bolts 21 and the foregoing remarks made with relation to sleeve 2| apply similarly to sleeve 28.

In the exchanger shown in Fig. 1 when it is desired to remove the sleeves, shell 2 is first removed from the header and then sleeves 2| are slid axially off the legs, the slits being open suf-v where straight tubes instead of U-tubes are employed, in which instance there is a tube sheet at each end of the tubes. If desired the sleeves may be made in two pieces, thereby having two slits. This will facilitate perpendicular removal especially where the shell contains a bank of legs or tubes.

While the foregoing description has been in relation to a U-tube it will be understood that the sleeves have application equally as well to straight tubes. Also the sleeves can be used with nless tubes.

While there have been hereinbefore described approved embodiments of this invention, it will be understood that many and various changes and modications in form, arrangement of parts and details of construction may be made thereto vwithout departing from the spirit of the invention, and that all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim are contemplated as a part of this invention.

The invention claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A heat exchanger comprising a shell open at one end; a header detachably secured to said shell, closing said end and having two separate compartments opening into said shell, provided one with an inlet and the other with an outlet, and each having an oriced outer end wall; a sleeve disposed over each of said compartment openings provided with a flange at the end thereof adjacent said opening, removably secured to said header, said sleeve extending from its said ange partly through said shell longitudinally thereof, and open at its opposite end to said shell, said shell, compartments and sleeves providing a chamber for a fluid; a U-tube for another fluid having its U-bend disposed in saidA shell beyond said opposite ends of said sleeves, and having its legs extending one through each of said sleeves and through the correlated compartment and said end wall orice thereof to the exterior vand permanently secured to said end wall whereby said header and U-tube provide a unit, each said sleeve being provided with a slit extending throughout its entire length and through said flange, said .slit being openable to permit the passage therethrough of said tube, each said sleeve further having oppositely disposed outwardly extendingfflanges adjacent each edge of said'slit; and removable means engaging said oppositely disposed flanges holding the opposite edgesv of said slit together.

ADDISON Y. GNTER. v 

